I made these little burgers for a solo dinner, because my story was due and I wasn’t about to host a slider party on a Thursday night. Each patty should be about 4 oz. (¼ lbs.) so it fits onto a squishy Martin’s potato dinner roll. They’re chubby little beef sliders that stand at ¾" high before cooking; you should barely press the meat together so they don’t toughen up. And then the cheese: Try to find sharp provolone cheese at the deli counter or Italian market and shred it to make a mound of cheese on top of each slider. Provolone has a salty bite that cheddar or American just don’t have, melts well, and pairs better with the balsamic-pickled onions for this Italian twist on beef sliders.

I love burgers, but let’s focus on the game-changing part of this recipe: BALSAMIC ONIONS. When I read the recipe title, I thought they’d be caramelized onions with balsamic vinegar, which scared me because I always burn my caramelized onions. Fortunately, it was one thinly-sliced red onion mixed with 3 Tbsp. balsamic, 1 tsp. sugar, and a pinch of salt. You let them sit for a few minutes without cooking, and they soften and become more mellow than standard pickled onions. I piled them high on top of the sliders and slid it into a toasted, mayonnaise-slicked roll. Two will do you for a full meal with a grain salad on the side, or if you’re feeling less authentically Italian (like I was that night), boxed mac and cheese. Choose your own slider adventure.